Lightning strikes Senate President Spilka's Ashland home

Thursday

BOSTON — If the old adage about lightning never striking the same place twice is true, Senate President Karen Spilka probably doesn't have to worry about having a bolt zap her house any time soon.

As a powerful cell of thunderstorms rattled through the Metrowest region late Wednesday night, Spilka's Ashland abode was hit by a bolt of lightning that fried some electronic components around her home.

The Senate president was home during the storm and her husband, Joel Loitherstein, was just arriving home at about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday when he saw the lightning bolt hit their home on Rome Way, Spilka's office said.

Spilka spokeswoman Sarah Blodgett said the Senate president "and her husband are currently assessing the damage, but she would like everyone to know that all of the people and dogs in the house are fine."

Spilka posted photos on Twitter on Thursday appearing to show the damage from the jolt of energy, including a busted power strip and a control box for an invisible fence system that sustained burns.

The storms that rolled across Massachusetts on Wednesday evening and night lit up the sky with lightning. Mike Wankum, a meteorologist at WCVB-TV, said Wednesday night that one cell of thunderstorms recorded nearly 250 lightning strikes in the course of 30 minutes.

Wednesday night's lightning strike was the second time in about five days that the newly-minted Senate president has had to contend with the power of Mother Nature. On Saturday, as another storm bulldozed across the state, Spilka huddled in her basement with her dogs when Ashland was put under a tornado warning.

"Never know what Mother Nature will do... @ashlandmass Tornado Warning on Saturday... lightning strike Wednesday. But WE ARE ALL OK. THat's the only thing that matters. Big thanks to Ashland's Finest," Spilka tweeted on Thursday.